9799074

Controlling Price Cascade Movements in an Electronic Trading System

PublishedOctober 24, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
28 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A computer implemented method for controlling cascade price movements in a trading market based on electronic trading, the method comprising: providing an administration user interface on a remote client computer, the administration user interface configured to control components within a special purpose computerized electronic trading system; determining, by a price limit manager of the electronic trading system, a price range for a time interval of trading in a market, the price range comprising an upper limit, a lower limit, an indicative market price (IMP) having a value between said upper and lower limits, a first gap comprising a portion of the price range between the upper limit and the IMP, and a second gap comprising a portion of the price range between the IMP and the lower limit; rejecting, by a trading engine, bids above the upper limit and offers below the lower limit during the time interval; monitoring, by the price limit manager, a volatility of the trading market reflected in one or more incoming orders during the time interval; determining, by the price limit manager in real-time, that the volatility causes a change to the value of the IMP, said change causing the IMP to shift within said price range; detecting, by the price limit manager in real-time, that said shift causes the IMP to reach one of the upper limit and the lower limit a predetermined number of times during the time interval; responsive to said detecting, engaging, by the price limit manager, a spiking price limit mechanism, said spiking price limit mechanism: automatically adjusting, by the price limit manager in real-time, at least one of the upper limit and the lower limit, responsive to said detecting, such that: when the IMP reaches the upper limit the predetermined number of times, the second gap is larger than the first gap, and when the IMP reaches the lower limit the predetermined number of times, the first gap is larger than the second gap, wherein a combination of a larger gap among one of the first gap and second gap and a smaller gap among the other of the first gap and second gap restricts price movement in a price cascade direction and encourages price movement in a direction opposite the price cascade direction, and repeating said adjusting, each time reducing a size of the smaller gap, until at least one of the size of said smaller gap reaches zero and detection that the IMP shifts in the direction opposite that of the price cascade direction; and disengaging, by the price limit manager, the spiking price limit mechanism and establishing pricing limits having the first gap equal to the second gap.

Plain English Translation

A computer system controls rapid price changes in electronic trading. An administration interface allows users to manage the system. The system calculates a price range with upper/lower limits and an "Indicative Market Price" (IMP) in between. It monitors market volatility based on incoming orders and rejects bids above the upper limit and offers below the lower limit. If the IMP frequently hits a limit, a "spiking price limit mechanism" automatically adjusts the limits. If the IMP hits the upper limit often, the gap between the IMP and the lower limit is made larger than the gap to the upper limit. Conversely, if the IMP hits the lower limit often, the gap to the upper limit becomes larger. This asymmetric gap restricts price movement in the cascade direction, encouraging movement in the opposite direction. This adjustment repeats, reducing the smaller gap until it reaches zero, or the IMP moves against the cascade. The system then resets to equal gaps.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, by the electronic trading system, information describing the market in the time interval, wherein the upper limit and the lower limit are determined based on the information describing the market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

The trading system from the previous description also receives market data during a time interval. This market data is used to determine the upper and lower price limits. This allows the system to dynamically adjust price limits based on real-time market conditions and prevent extreme price swings.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the information describing the market in the time interval used for determining the upper limit and the lower limit comprises an estimate of the volatility of the trading market.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system previously described, the market data used to determine the upper and lower price limits includes an estimate of the trading market's volatility. Using volatility estimates enables the system to set more appropriate price limits that account for the current market instability, helping prevent unwanted price cascades.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the information describing the market in the time interval used for determining the upper limit and the lower limit comprises a range of price movement in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system previously described, the market data used to determine the upper and lower price limits includes the range of price movement observed in the time interval. Analyzing the historical price range for a particular market can inform the system on setting appropriate boundaries on price fluctuations.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, by the electronic trading system, information describing the market in the time interval; and determining, by the electronic trading system, a size of at least one of one or more additional time intervals based on the information describing the market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

The trading system from the initial description also receives market data and determines the size of additional time intervals based on this data. This means the system can dynamically adjust the length of trading periods based on market activity, instead of relying on pre-set, static intervals.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined based on statistical information associated with trading in the market occurring during the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the previously described trading system, the size of the additional time intervals is determined based on statistical information related to market trading during a specific time interval. This statistical data could be used to optimize trading windows based on market trends and trading patterns.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined based on the volatility of the trading market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system previously described, the size of the additional time intervals is determined based on the volatility of the trading market during the time interval. By monitoring market volatility, the system can dynamically adjust trading intervals, for example, shorter intervals during high volatility and longer intervals during stable periods.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined to be inversely proportionate to an estimate of the volatility of the trading market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system previously described, the size of the additional time intervals is determined to be inversely proportional to the estimated volatility of the trading market during a particular time interval. This means that as volatility increases, the time interval decreases, providing finer-grained control, and vice versa.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein an order is outside the upper limit and the lower limit if the order is one of a buy order above the upper limit or a sell order below the lower limit.

Plain English Translation

In the previously detailed trading system, orders are considered outside of price limits when a buy order exceeds the upper limit or a sell order falls below the lower limit. These orders are rejected, enforcing the price controls implemented by the system.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting at least one of the upper limit and the lower limit further comprises receiving, by the electronic trading system, information regarding the price range from a user input.

Plain English Translation

In the previously detailed trading system, the adjustment of the upper and lower price limits includes the reception of information regarding the price range from user input. This allows for manual override and fine-tuning of the automated price control mechanism by authorized users, allowing for expert intervention when needed.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting at least one of the upper limit and the lower limit further comprises receiving, by the electronic trading system, an indicative market price value and a range of price limits from a user input.

Plain English Translation

In the previously detailed trading system, adjusting the upper and lower price limits further comprises receiving an indicative market price and a range of price limits from user input. This allows a user to directly specify the acceptable price range and the expected market price, giving them more control over the price control mechanism.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable code executable by a processor for controlling price movements in a trading market based on electronic trading, the code comprising: a price limit manager configured to: determine a price range for a time interval of trading in a market, the price range comprising an upper limit, a lower limit, an indicative market price (IMP) having a value between said upper and lower limits, a first gap comprising a portion of the price range between the upper limit and the IMP, and a second gap comprising a portion of the price range between the IMP and the lower limit; a trading engine configured to: reject bids above the upper limit and offers below the lower limit during the time interval; the price limit manager, further configured to: monitor a volatility of the trading market reflected in one or more incoming orders during the time interval; determine, in real-time, that the volatility causes a change to the value of the IMP, said change causing the IMP to shift within said price range; detect, in real-time, that said shift causes the IMP to reach one of the upper limit and the lower limit a predetermined number of times during the time interval; responsive to said detect, engage, by the price limit manager, a spiking price limit mechanism, said spiking price limit mechanism configured to: automatically adjust, in real-time, at least one of the upper limit and the lower limit, responsive to said detecting, such that: when the IMP reaches the upper limit the predetermined number of times, the second gap is larger than the first gap, and when the IMP reaches the lower limit the predetermined number of times, the first gap is larger than the second gap, wherein a combination of a larger gap among one of the first gap and second gap and a smaller gap among the other of the first gap and second gap restricts price movement in a price cascade direction and encourages price movement in a direction opposite the price cascade direction, and repeat said adjust, each time reducing a size of the smaller gap, until at least one of the size of said smaller gap reaches zero and detection that the IMP shifts in the direction opposite that of the price cascade direction; and disengage, by the price limit manager, the spiking price limit mechanism and establish pricing limits having the first gap equal to the second gap.

Plain English Translation

A computer program, stored on a non-transitory medium, controls rapid price changes in electronic trading. A price limit manager calculates a price range with upper/lower limits and an "Indicative Market Price" (IMP) in between. A trading engine rejects bids above the upper limit and offers below the lower limit. The price limit manager monitors market volatility and adjusts the limits if the IMP frequently hits a limit. If the IMP hits the upper limit often, the gap between the IMP and the lower limit is made larger. If the IMP hits the lower limit often, the gap to the upper limit becomes larger. This asymmetric gap restricts price movement in the cascade direction, encouraging movement in the opposite direction. This adjustment repeats, reducing the smaller gap until it reaches zero, or the IMP moves against the cascade. The price limit manager then resets to equal gaps.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the price limit manager is further configured to: receive information describing the market in the time interval, wherein the upper limit and the lower limit are determined based on the information describing the market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

The computer program from the previous description also receives market data during a time interval and uses it to determine the upper and lower price limits. This allows the system to dynamically adjust price limits based on real-time market conditions and prevent extreme price swings.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the information describing the market in the time interval used for determining the upper limit and the lower limit comprises one or more of an estimate of the volatility of the trading market and a range of price movement in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the computer program from the previous description, the market data used to determine the upper and lower price limits includes an estimate of the trading market's volatility, or the range of price movement observed in the time interval, or both. Using volatility estimates and/or price range data enables the system to set more appropriate price limits.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the price limit manager is further configured to: receive information describing the market in the time interval; and determine a size of at least one of one or more additional time intervals based on the information describing the market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

The computer program from the initial description also receives market data and determines the size of additional time intervals based on this data. This allows the system to dynamically adjust the length of trading periods based on market activity, instead of relying on pre-set, static intervals.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined based on one or more of statistical information associated with trading in the market occurring during the time interval and the volatility of the trading market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the computer program previously described, the size of the additional time intervals is determined based on statistical information related to market trading or the volatility of the trading market (or both) during a specific time interval. This information can be used to optimize trading windows based on market trends and stability.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined to be inversely proportionate to an estimate of the volatility of the trading market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the computer program previously described, the size of the additional time intervals is determined to be inversely proportional to the estimated volatility of the trading market during a particular time interval. This means that as volatility increases, the time interval decreases, providing finer-grained control, and vice versa.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. A computer-implemented system for controlling price movements in a trading market based on electronic trading, the system comprising: an administration user interface on a remote client computer, the administration user interface configured to control a special purpose computerized electronic trading system; the special purpose computerized electronic trading system comprising: a computer processor; and a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one computer program configured to execute on the computer processor, the at least one computer program comprising: a price limit manager configured to: determine a price range for a time interval of trading in a market, the price range comprising an upper limit, a lower limit, an indicative market price (IMP) having a value between said upper and lower limits, a first gap comprising a portion of the price range between the upper limit and the IMP, and a second gap comprising a portion of the price range between the IMP and the lower limit; a trading engine configured to: reject bids above the upper limit and offers below the lower limit during the time interval; the price limit manager, further configured to: monitor a volatility of the trading market reflected in one or more incoming orders during the time interval; determine, in real-time, that the volatility causes a change to the value of the IMP, said change causing the IMP to shift within said price range; detect, in real-time, that said shift causes the IMP to reach one of the upper limit and the lower limit a predetermined number of times during the time interval; responsive to said detect, engage, by the price limit manager, a spiking price limit mechanism, said spiking price limit mechanism configured to: automatically adjust, in real-time, at least one of the upper limit and the lower limit, responsive to said detecting, such that: when the IMP reaches the upper limit the predetermined number of times, the second gap is larger than the first gap, and when the IMP reaches the lower limit the predetermined number of times, the first gap is larger than the second gap, wherein a combination of a larger gap among one of the first gap and second gap and a smaller gap among the other of the first gap and second gap restricts price movement in a price cascade direction and encourages price movement in a direction opposite the price cascade direction, and repeat said adjust, each time reducing a size of the smaller gap, until at least one of the size of said smaller gap reaches zero and detection that the IMP shifts in the direction opposite that of the price cascade direction; and disengage, by the price limit manager, the spiking price limit mechanism and establish pricing limits having the first gap equal to the second gap.

Plain English Translation

A computer system controls rapid price changes in electronic trading. An administration interface allows users to manage the system. The system calculates a price range with upper/lower limits and an "Indicative Market Price" (IMP) in between. It monitors market volatility based on incoming orders and rejects bids above the upper limit and offers below the lower limit. If the IMP frequently hits a limit, a "spiking price limit mechanism" automatically adjusts the limits. If the IMP hits the upper limit often, the gap between the IMP and the lower limit is made larger than the gap to the upper limit. Conversely, if the IMP hits the lower limit often, the gap to the upper limit becomes larger. This asymmetric gap restricts price movement in the cascade direction, encouraging movement in the opposite direction. This adjustment repeats, reducing the smaller gap until it reaches zero, or the IMP moves against the cascade. The system then resets to equal gaps.

Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The computer-implemented system of claim 18 , wherein the price limit manager is further configured to: receive information describing the market in the time interval, wherein the upper limit and the lower limit are determined based on the information describing the market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

The trading system from the previous description also receives market data during a time interval. This market data is used to determine the upper and lower price limits. This allows the system to dynamically adjust price limits based on real-time market conditions and prevent extreme price swings.

Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The computer-implemented system of claim 19 , wherein the information describing the market in the time interval used for determining the upper limit and the lower limit comprises one or more of an estimate of the volatility of the trading market and a range of price movement in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system previously described, the market data used to determine the upper and lower price limits includes an estimate of the trading market's volatility, or the range of price movement observed in the time interval, or both. Using volatility estimates and/or price range data enables the system to set more appropriate price limits.

Claim 21

Original Legal Text

21. The computer-implemented system of claim 18 , wherein the price limit manager is further configured to: receive information describing the market in the time interval; and determine a size of at least one of one or more additional time intervals based on the information describing the market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

The trading system from the initial description also receives market data and determines the size of additional time intervals based on this data. This means the system can dynamically adjust the length of trading periods based on market activity, instead of relying on pre-set, static intervals.

Claim 22

Original Legal Text

22. The computer-implemented system of claim 21 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined based on one or more of statistical information associated with trading in the market occurring during the time interval and the volatility of the trading market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the computer system previously described, the size of the additional time intervals is determined based on statistical information related to market trading or the volatility of the trading market (or both) during a specific time interval. This information can be used to optimize trading windows based on market trends and stability.

Claim 23

Original Legal Text

23. The computer-implemented system of claim 22 , wherein the size of the one or more additional time intervals is determined to be inversely proportionate to an estimate of the volatility of the trading market in the time interval.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system previously described, the size of the additional time intervals is determined to be inversely proportional to the estimated volatility of the trading market during a particular time interval. This means that as volatility increases, the time interval decreases, providing finer-grained control, and vice versa.

Claim 24

Original Legal Text

24. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein an order is outside the upper limit and the lower limit if the order is one of a buy order above the upper limit or a sell order below the lower limit.

Plain English Translation

In the previously detailed trading system, orders are considered outside of price limits when a buy order exceeds the upper limit or a sell order falls below the lower limit. These orders are rejected, enforcing the price controls implemented by the system.

Claim 25

Original Legal Text

25. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: providing an automatic trading system for installation on a further remote client computer; and automatically submitting and accepting, by the automatic trading system, one or more bids in less than one second to the electronic trading system via an API request server.

Plain English Translation

The trading system from the initial description also includes an automated trading system that can be installed on a separate client machine. This automated system can submit and accept bids to the electronic trading system via an API server in under one second, allowing for rapid algorithmic trading.

Claim 26

Original Legal Text

26. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, by the price limit manager, customizable configuration parameters via the administration user interface, the price limit manager determining the upper limit and the lower limit based on the electronic trading in accordance with the customizable configuration parameters.

Plain English Translation

In the trading system from the initial description, the price limit manager receives customizable configuration parameters through the administration user interface. The upper and lower price limits are then determined based on electronic trading, according to those customized parameters. This gives administrators granular control over the price limit settings.

Claim 27

Original Legal Text

27. The computer program product of claim 12 , further comprising: receiving, by the price limit manager, customizable configuration parameters via an administration user interface on a remote client computer, the price limit manager determining the upper limit and the lower limit based on the electronic trading in accordance with the customizable configuration parameters.

Plain English Translation

The computer program from the initial description enables the price limit manager to receive customizable configuration parameters through the administration user interface. The upper and lower price limits are then determined based on electronic trading, according to those customized parameters. This gives administrators granular control over the price limit settings.

Claim 28

Original Legal Text

28. The computer-implemented system of claim 18 , further comprising: receiving, by the price limit manager, customizable configuration parameters via the administration user interface, the price limit manager determining the upper limit and the lower limit based on the electronic trading in accordance with the customizable configuration parameters.

Plain English Translation

In the computer system from the initial description, the price limit manager receives customizable configuration parameters through the administration user interface. The upper and lower price limits are then determined based on electronic trading, according to those customized parameters. This provides administrators with a way to customize the price limit settings.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

October 24, 2017

Inventors

Robert James Fuller
Steven John Katesmark
Christopher Roy Harrison

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Cite as: Patentable. “CONTROLLING PRICE CASCADE MOVEMENTS IN AN ELECTRONIC TRADING SYSTEM” (9799074). https://patentable.app/patents/9799074

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CONTROLLING PRICE CASCADE MOVEMENTS IN AN ELECTRONIC TRADING SYSTEM